The Vitality of a Front Song

Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Minh Lac recalls singing the song “Glory of Our Fatherland Front” 22 years ago. Photo: Dien Bac.

Born in 2002

"Glory of our Fatherland Front" by Quang Vuong is a familiar song to those working on the Front nationwide.

So, where is the father of this song, when was the song born, why is it so vital, so widespread, but few people know about it? That is the story that makes us curious. After a period of research, we learned that musician Quang Vuong, 82 years old this year, living in Vinh City, is the author of this song. Musician Quang Vuong recalls: “Around the beginning of 2002, a leader of the Nghe An Provincial Fatherland Front Committee asked: “Can Mr. Vuong research and compose a song about the activities of the Front?”

“I struggled with the request, plus my understanding of the Front’s functions, and then the song was born in that context. After I finished writing the lyrics, I went with the group to visit Dong Nai. At the meeting with the Bien Hoa City Front staff, this song was sung for the first time. The Chairman of the Bien Hoa City Fatherland Front Committee at that time raised the issue of buying the copyright. I said, it is now only in manuscript form and I have no intention of transferring it to anyone,” said musician Quang Vuong.

Next, the song “Glory of our Fatherland Front” was officially performed for the first time in the art program celebrating the 72nd anniversary of the founding of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (November 18, 2002) of Nghe An province. Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Minh Lac - Captain of the Singing Team of the Military Region IV Art Troupe 1998 - 2003 said: “At that time, my wife, singer Le Thanh and some other singers in the Vinh City Music Club performed this song. I still remember clearly, the first time I sang a song about the Front, my heart was extremely excited. I felt that the theme was clear and profound, through the lyrics of the song, it encouraged all forces to join hands and hearts to build and develop the country. Everyone saw their own faces in it. This song is like a call for solidarity”.

Musician Quang Vuong is very fond of the song "Glory of our Fatherland Front" that he composed.

Vital and pervasive

Mr. Ho Hong Tuyen - Chief of Office of the Nghe An Provincial Fatherland Front Committee said: In 2002, when he was the Vice Chairman of the agency's Trade Union, he clearly remembered that the song "Glory to our Fatherland Front" by musician Quang Vuong was printed in the Front Newsletter and later reprinted several times. Mr. Tuyen said: "Regarding Nghe An, now, most associations from the grassroots to the provincial level know the lyrics of the above song. It is performed from the cultural programs of residential groups, villages, to districts, towns, cities and is considered a musical work of the "Front Song" type".

From a smooth start, after the song “Glory of our Fatherland Front” was released, it encouraged the spirit of artist Quang Vuong. In 2005, he recorded a cassette and sent it to Chairman Pham The Duyet. Upon receiving this work, on September 6, 2005, Mr. Pham The Duyet sent a letter to musician Quang Vuong with the following sentiment: “I thank you very much for sending me the song “Glory of our Fatherland Front”. I don’t understand the music, but the lyrics are very good, the Party, Uncle Ho, and the People combine to form the cause of Great Unity and Victory! I will let my brothers study and use it in the Fatherland Front system at all levels”.

Musician Quang Vuong confided: “When I wrote this song, I thought it was just for propaganda purposes, but I never expected that my brainchild would have such a strong vitality and spread so widely. That spread did not stop within the Nghe An community. Up to now, the song “Glory of our Fatherland Front” has been elaborately staged by many units and performed at important political events across the country. That is an extremely great happiness for me personally.”

However, musician Quang Vuong also has concerns. According to him, most music groups and associations when staging, record the author's name correctly. But there are also music groups that record the author's name incorrectly. Specifically, the music group Lac Viet posted the video of this song on Youtube on July 14, 2019, recording the author's name Truc Phuong incorrectly. Artist Quang Vuong affirmed: "Truc Phuong is a singer of the Nghe An Song and Dance Troupe. Truc Phuong and Que Thuong were the first singers to sing my song "Glory of the Fatherland Front". I think the music group recorded the author's name incorrectly, it was just an accident. Because for them, it is not important, only the author can see the value of the work".

Dedicated to music

Musician Quang Vuong seems to have devoted his entire life to composing music. Up to now, he has written a total of 193 songs, which are widely circulated. Among them, many songs have a lasting vitality, deeply imprinted in the minds of those who love them. That is why his friends often call him a musician of the working class. He has made many contributions to the workers' and trade union movements. According to his own assessment, that is where his creative soul was nurtured from the beginning as a worker. In particular, after returning from an internship at the International Center for Culture and Arts in Sofia, Bulgaria in 1984, Quang Vuong became even more successful in his compositions.

Musician Quang Vuong proudly said: “I often write for social organizations, among which, the songs “Union Nest”, “Joy on the Grassland”… quickly became famous after being released in 1966. The song “Joy on the Grassland” immediately won the A prize at the competition organized by the Ministry of Agriculture at the Hanoi Opera House that same year. My musical works have survived through time mainly because of the fragrance of musk. And the song “Glory to our Fatherland Front” is also one of the widely used works that I am fortunate to be the one who gave birth to it”.

At the end of the conversation, musician Quang Vuong told me that: For him, composing music is mainly a matter of voluntary spirit, sublimation of emotions and responsibility, no one orders it. Many of the songs he composed still live forever, that is a dedication to society. The work "Glory to our Fatherland Front" has now become ingrained in the minds of those working in the Front, becoming a song that is staged and performed at almost all events organized by the Front.

Musician Quang Vuong said: "I have a lifelong wish, which is to be recognized and honored by the Front organization to establish a milestone in my music composition career, to be engraved in history."

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Musician Quang Vuong's real name is Nguyen Quang Vuong, born in 1943, currently living in Nghi Kim commune, Vinh city (Nghe An). He used to work as a worker at Bai Phu Farm, then held many positions in the cultural sector and trade union organization. In 1990, he was appointed Director of Vinh City's Cultural and Information Center and retired in 2003. He was awarded the Third Class Resistance Medal, many music awards, and the Medal for the Cause of Culture and Information...

Source: https://daidoanket.vn/suc-song-cua-mot-ca-khuc-mat-tran-10292240.html